Prompted by concerns for the safety of fellow citizens residing in the Lake Chapala area, Yvonne Chin of the Canadian Consulate in Guadalajara put together a public security briefing Tuesday, June 5 at Chapala city hall.
To ensure a broad perspective on topics of interest, the envoy convoked a panel of state and local officials to address key representatives of lakeside’s expatriate population.
Present as spokespersons for the Jalisco state government were International Affairs Director Monica Sanchez and the Public Security Ministry’s Operational Director Alejandro Solorio.
Sanchez underlined Jalisco’s standing as a safe venue for major international events, mentioning Canada’s participation in last year’s Pan American Games and the more recent Festival de Mayo cultural program, both carried off without incident.
Solorio delved into more details on organized crime and its direct impact in the lakeshore region, stressing the cooperation between state and municipal police that has led to the detection of gang hideouts, the arrest of several suspects, and recent success at driving crime cells out of the area and across the state’s borders.
In response to a specific question about a state police raid earlier this month that involved the home of a Canadian couple who were out the country at that time, Solorio explained that strikes of that nature are frequently based on anonymous tips and executed on the premise that lives may be in danger. He told this newspaper that the incident was apparently prompted by a caller who reported hearing the sound of a chainsaw and cries for help in the neighborhood where the raid took place.
Appearing on behalf of local governments were Chapala Mayor Jesus Cabrera and his police chief Reynol Contreras, and Jocotepec Mayor Mario Chavez with police chief Alejandro Bravo. They talked about the value of citizen cooperation in detecting criminal activity and pled with foreign residents to share upbeat views on living at lakeside with friends and family abroad to help counteract media reports that have put the area in a negative light.
Invited in representation of the local Canadian community were wardens Chris Manning, John Prichard, Harold Tracy and Doug Archer; Canadian Club president Rick Standing and second vice president Barbara Wills; Royal Canadian Legion president Sam Corbeil and secretary Lynn Bishop; and Lake Chapala Society president Howard Feldstein and executive director Terry Vidal. Attending as observers were officers of the Canadian Embassy and U.S. Consulate General and the members of the Community Safety Initiative steering committee.
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